Sewing-machine cabinet.



PATENTED JUNE 9, 1908.

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J. 0. PETTEY. SEWING MACHINE CABINET.

I APPLICATION FILED 00T. 6., 1902.

PATENTED JUNE 9, 1908.

J. 0. PETTEY. SEWING MACHINE CABINET.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 6, 1902' 3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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SEWING MACHINE CABINET. APPLIAOATION FILED 00T. 6, 1902.

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mlllllllllluWHHHHIIIIIl PATBNTED JUNE 9, 1908. A

UNITED sTATEs PATENT oEE/roE.

JOHN O. PETTEY, OF BELVIDERE, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO NATIONAL SEWING MACHINE CO., OF BELVIDERE, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

SEWING-MACHINE CABINET.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 9, 1908.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN O. PETTEY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Belvidere, in the county of Boone and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Sewing-Machine Cabinets, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact specification.

My invention relates to that class of-sewing machine cabinets in which a hinged lid of the cabinet is employed as a lever for raising and lowering a hinged platform which supports the sewing machine head, and which,

as heretofore constructed, has been provided with a hinged extension adapted to break joint downwardly as the forward edge of the platform descends.

One of the important objects of my invention is to avoid the necessity for the hinged connection between the platform and its extension, and to at the same time so construct and operate the extension that it may be positively and accurately guided to place without the employment of springs, or other like parts liable to get out of order.

My invention also has for its object to render the leverage of the lid more effective during its initial upward movement at the time when the point of work is farthest from the fulcrum, and the lid is acting as a lever of the third order, and to multiply the speed of the lever on the platform as the lever changes from that of the third order to that of the first order, and the leverage grows greater.

Another object of my invention is to avoid the employment of the metallic band, or ribbon, heretofore employed as a connection between the hinged lid and the platform. And a still further object of my invention is to counter balance the platform and sewing machine head thereon.

With these ends in view, my invention consists in certain features of novelty in the construction, combination and arrangement of parts by which the said objects and certain other objects hereinafter appearing are attained, all as fully described with reference to the accompanying drawings, and more particularly pointed out in the claims.

VIn the said drawings 5 Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view of a sewing machine cabinet constructed according to my improvements, taken on the line 1-1, Fig. 8. Fig. 2 is a detail sectional view. Fig. 3 is a fragmentary plan section on the line 3-3, Fig. 8. Fig. 4

is an enlarged detail sectional view of the upper end of the roller arm, hereinafter described. Fig. 5 is a vertical longitudinal section on the. line 5 5, Fig. 1, showing the lid closed. Fig. 6 is an enlarged detail sectional view of the chain drums and spring, hereinafter described. Fig. 7 is a perspective view partly in section showing the platform and its extension in the act of rising to their hori- Zontal position. Fig. 8 is a vertical longitudinal section of the cabinet taken on the line SS, Fig. 1, and Fig. 9 is a detail sectional view taken on the same line as Fig. 1, illustrating certain modifications, hereinafter explained.

(1) is the platform which may be of the usual, or any suitable construction, hinged at its rear edge to the top of the cabinet so as to be capable of swinging downwardly into the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1, when the head is to be lowered into the cabinet.

The forward edge of the platform (1) is provided with a hinged arm (2), which extends rearwardly and carries a roller (3) running against any suitable track or support at the back'of the cabinet, such as a runway (4).

To the rear end of the arm (2) is secured one end of a chain (5), or any other suitable flexible connection, but a chain in preference to a band or ribbon which is liable to rust and break. This chain passes over a pulley (5a), and has its other end secured by lug (6) to the smaller side of a convolute drum (7), around which the chain is adapted to wind from the smaller towards the larger diameter of the drum as the drum turns from right to left, as viewed in Figs. 5 and 8 of the drawing. On one side of this drum is formed a smaller drum (8), which is also of convolute form, butits larger diameter 4is arranged on the side of the center, contiguous to the smaller diameter of the drum (7), and around this drum (8) passes a chain, or other suitable flexible connection (9), which has one end secured by lug (10) to the smaller side of the drum (8), while the other end of the chain, after passing partially around the drum from the smaller diameter towards the larger diameter thereof, Vis suitably attached to the lower end of an arm, or lever (11), which passes upwardly through the top of the cabinet and is pivoted at (12) to the under side of thereof from the pivotal point (12) outwardly for receiving the arm, or lever (11), when the lid is in its open horizontal position, the top of the cabinet being also provided with an alined groove or channel (16) which receives that portion of the lever (11) projecting thereacross when the lid (13) is open. By means of these grooves or channels, the arm or lever (11) is enabled to lie flush with the surfaces of the lid (13) and top of the cabinet when the lid is open.

The weight upon the hinged platform (1) unwinds the chain (5) from the drum (7), as shown in Fig. 5, and winds the chain (9) uponthe drum (8), bringing the major diameter of the drum (8) substantially at right angles to the line of strain between the drum (8) and the pivot (12), so that during the initial upward movement of the lid (13), when the lid is acting as a lever of the third order, and consequently when it is desirable to sacrifice rapidity of movement of the hinged platform for the sake of leverage or ease of movement, the greatest leverage of the drum (8) will be eective, and such leverage will gradually decrease, permitting of greater speed as the lid (13) rises and brings the center (12) nearer the fulcrum point' (14) with a consequent increase of the leverage of the lid (13). It is also seen that as the chain (9) unwinds from the major diameter of the drum (8) towards its minimum diameter, the chain (5) winds on to the drum (7) from the minimum diameter where the leverage is greatest towards the major diameter where the speed is greatest, and the leverage less.

In order to counter-balance the weight upon the platform (l), a suitable spring shown in the form of a coil spring (17) is employed, with one end attached at (18) to the drum (7), and the other end to a iiXed A pin (19).

(20) is an extension of the forward side of platform (1), which extension heretofore has usually been hinged to the platform, and provided with springs for holding it in position, but in my invention, the extension (20) is entirely disconnected from the platform (1), and when the latter is lowered, the extension descends by gravity, and follows the platform to the lower end of a guide-way (21), one of which is secured to each end of the cabinet against the inner wall thereof in such a position as to receive the ends of the eXtension (20). The upper, or outer edge of the extension (20) may, if desired, be provided with a tongue (22), and the edge of the top of the cabinet with a groove (23) for receiving the tongue, and thus holding the outer edge of the extension against being accidentally misplaced, and also serving as a means of arresting the extension in its u ward movement when its upper edge reac ies the upper edge of the cabinet top, and thereby compelling the lower edge of the extension to swing l upwardly into a line flush with the platform (1)as the latter assumes a horizontal position. In order that the lower edge of the eX- tension may be thus caused to rise with the platform, the latter is provided with lugs or fingers (24) which sweep through an arc of sufHcient radius to catch under the lower edge of extension (20) at all times when passing from the lower end of the guide (21) toY g the limit of its upward movement. Thus it will be seen that the lingers, or lugs (24) support the inner, or lower end of extension (20) while the tongue (22) supports its outer end or edge. The guide (21) is so formed and arranged as to guidethe tongue (22) into the groove (23) as extension (20) slides upwardly thereon, and if desired, a companion guide (25) may be used in conjunction with guide (21) for completely confining the ends of eX- tension (20), and avoiding the possibility of the extension getting displaced, these two guides (21), (25) being connected together at their lower ends to form a stop 21EL for limiting the downward movement of the eXtension.

(26) is an apron'which is of the usual form, pivoted at (27) to the ends of the cabinet between the guides (21), and adapted to swing downwardly with platform 1) to make room for the sewing machine head within the cabinet, or to be moved upwardly by spring (28) when the head is elevated, t'o make room for the knees of the operator.

In the form of my invention shown in Fig. 9, the fingers, or lugs (24) are dispensed with, and in lieu thereof, the forward or lower edge of platform (1) is formed with a rabbet, or flange (29), which engages under a similar rabbet or flange (30) on the lower or inner edge of extension (20), and the companion guide (25) is omitted and in lieu thereof is. employed a short guide (25a), which serves to hold the extension (20) flat against the guide (21) until it is in that position where the lower, or inner edge must begin to rise in order to come into line with the platform when the latter is horizontal.

Having thus described my invention, what l claim as new therein and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

nation of a hinged lid, a depressible platform,

a double convolute drum, a flexible connection between one convolution of said drum and said platform and an operative connection between the other convolution of said drum and said lid, substantially as set forth. 2. In a sewing machine cabinet the combination of a depressible platform for supporting the sewing machine head, an extension for said platform movable therewith but disconnected therefrom and means in connection with said platform and extension for supporting one upon the other as the platform rises, substantially as set forth.

1. ln a sewing machine cabinet the combi- 3. In a sewing machine cabinet the combination of a hinged platform adapted tobe depressed at its free edge, an extension for said platform movable therewith but disconnected therefrom, means on said platform for engaging under and raising said extension and means for guiding said extension, substantially as set forth.

4. In a sewing machine cabinet. the combination of a hinged platform having a rabbet formed along its free edge, a platform eXtension movable with and disconnected from said platform and having a flange adapted to engage over said rabbet, and means for guiding said extension into a horizontal position when raised by said first rabbet, substantially as set forth.

5.. In a sewing machine cabinet, the combination of a hinged lid, a depressible platform, a pair of eccentric drums operatively connected, the greatest diameter of said drums being disposed in opposite directions, a flexible connection between one of said drums and the platform, and an' operative connection between the other drum and the lid.

6. In a machine cabinet, a top having an v opening therein, a machine supporting top portion movably mounted thereon to be raised from a position below said top to a position within said opening, a supplemental top portion movably mounted on said cabinet, and an element carried by said supporting portion and positioned to operatively engage with said supplemental portion, to move said portion to operative position as the top supporting portion rises.

' JOHN O. PETTEY. lVitnesses:

R. R. BROWN, J. P. WALLIMAN. 

